Small Comfort from Small Light
by LadyPorpoise
Summary: There is nothing that pains a parent more than to see their child suffer and are unable to do anything to alleviate that pain. At least they can know they are not alone through physical touch. Even then: the small light of an endangered insect is enough to bring the suffering hope from the darkness they are trapped in, and hope for the onlookers. 50th story celebration thingy.


_A/N It's been a while since I've done anything lately...Well, things kind of have been a little shaky, and I think my head is exhausted somewhat._

 _And: since I saw someone else do it: I decided to do something for my 50th story posted. Well, it really isn't anything different than what I normally do...but I would like to treat it as special, since 50th post and whatnot._

 _I haven't done a lot of Thranduil either, and since I need to let people know I'm still alive...here's this. I hope you enjoy. :)_

* * *

He finally could get time to come out of the tree.

It was night time as Thranduil walked across the grassy floor toward the hut. For the past few months, the king had been dealing with waves upon waves of anxiety from discovering (and destroying) a fortress that had stolen some of his people as experiments for some grotesquely oversized spiders. He had seen them with his own eyes the large arachnids and experienced the effects of their venom…it was his blood the healers used to find an antidote for the others who were stung.

Even though nothing else had happened since dealing with the Black Númenoreans and their experiments, the unease remained prominent. Thranduil could not deny that something was going to happen, and very soon.

It was what he did not know.

The king already had plans of having his uncle, Erestor, come out of Imladris to offer his insights along with the other chieftains of Greenwood. Thranduil needed opinions, needed ideas…although he was sure that retreating to the ancient cave in the far north would be best.

Thranduil stood before the little house and up into a tree where the house was built around it. He saw the glimmer of silver hair and the darkly cladded Sinda sitting in the tree.

Said elf turned when he detected a presence, and Thranduil felt concern grow seeing the elf's hair messy and his eyes tired. "My lord, I did not hear you come."

"Peace, Agarvorn," Thranduil said calmly.

Agarvorn shook his head and the king heard some parchment crackle. "I am working all my hardest on getting this system to be understandable and to work." The elf sounded slightly desperate from tiredness. "I know someone in Lothlórien that does the same thing, and I-"

"I appreciate your efforts and the service you have given to my son when the queen and other princes cannot be here," Thranduil interrupted softly. "It is hard…"

"It is my job to serve, and if we are not sure if he will ever hear again…"

"I know," Thranduil answered a little sharply, his exhaustion and stress slipping into his tone. He sighed. "Forgive me, but please: take some time to yourself. I can look at what you have thus far if that suits you."

Agarvorn thought about it for a moment and he exhaled, stuffing the papers into the wood box along with the other utensils. "Not yet, my lord…but thank you for giving me a reprieve."

Thranduil nodded. "Farewell for now." He said as he walked to the door.

Even though it was hastily built, it was fairly large and functional. No glass was placed in the window frames, and the light colors from the wood were comforting…for those who were able to see it.

Thranduil could hear the sounds of despair and sadness come from the bedroom and with slow steps passed the threshold. There on the floor was his queen holding their second son. Galadhion tried hard to lay fully on the floor but Eregnis was not letting him, holding him firmly in her arms. Thranduil's heart hurt seeing the once vibrant green eyes that all his children possessed were clouded with cataracts: unseeing and terrified.

Galadhion moaned and rambled in whispers as he pressed his face into the pillow he held, and only then Thranduil smelled the scent of lavender, as well as the small bottle on the floor that contained the extract.

"I wonder if he has more of my blood than Thôndir, even though our firstborn has the looks of strength than Galadhion does," Eregnis said tiredly without looking at her husband. "Has the strength of three full-grown saber cats in the east."

"Has he said anything else?" Thranduil asked as he knelt down next to them.

Galadhion felt the small breeze the king's clothes made and he shuddered in unknowing. "W-who?" he asked far too loudly and with a slur.

"No," Eregnis answered sadly. "'Can't come, won't come', the same old."

"Tell me his other wounds have started showing _some_ signs of healing," Thranduil demanded out of mild despair. "They should have healed long ago."

The king carefully moved a hand closer to Galadhion's face and the prince shied into Eregnis, but the touch and gentle brushing of his locks made him stop. His nostrils flared as he sniffed the air and he hiccupped, "At-tt…"

"They have not," Eregnis again answered with a grim answer. "And they will not if he cannot stop thinking about it. Legolas is not letting his scars from the whips disappear either." She closed her eyes and a tear spilled out. "So it is true about what those in the west have said about the Black Númenoreans…they are too like the one they worship, to leave lasting marks."

Thranduil said nothing in response and continued to stroke the strands of hair in his fingers.

Galadhion leaned into the touch and hugged the pillow tighter. His body became stiff like a wire and he started moaning, making silent sobs as the voices in his trapped existence started to speak again.

"I will get the sedative," Thranduil murmured and moved to stand up.

Galadhion panicked and whimpered and Eregnis held him close, kissing him repeatedly on the top of the head. The prince relaxed only slightly, and he kept his eyes tightly closed as he endured this nightmare.

Thranduil came back with the small bottle of medicine and crouching down gave it to Eregnis. The queen held it against Galadhion's mouth, and the prince did not instantly recognize it, but when he did: he pulled out of his mother's hold and scrambled away.

"N-no, n-no s-sleep," Galadhion begged miserably. "C-come, c-come!"

Eregnis stared with immense sadness at the broken glass and the stains to her clothes and Thranduil's expression was also pained. The king slowly went over to his tormented son and tried as gently as he could to grasp Galadhion's upper arms and nudge him to the bed.

Galadhion fought and shook his head frantically. "N-no! N-no t-tinc!"

Thranduil's breath hitched. Not even a few months out and his speech was falling apart. And how the father wished he could tell his son that they were not going to give him the medicine now, only that they would hold him in a place a lot more comfortable than the floor.

Instead, Thranduil made do by carefully pulling Galadhion back into a safe pair of arms until he calmed down again.

"Do you need help?" Eregnis asked in a tone of defeat.

"I think I will manage," Thranduil responded lowly.

Eregnis slowly stood up. "I am going to get into dry clothes then…and I hope you both are in the bed by the time I get back."

"I hope so too," Thranduil sighed.

It became very quiet save for Galadhion's mumblings and soft cries when Eregnis left. Thranduil wished he could understand fully what his son was experiencing. Being blind and deaf would be a nightmare for anyone, but to an elf…was it worse? What was going on in his head? Was he hallucinating to try and fill in the dark, silent void?

If Thranduil could, he would give the man who did this a living hell for the rest of his days, in exchange for sticking his own son in this situation, with no clear sign of ever regaining his sight and hearing again.

But Thranduil had to be merciful…otherwise things would be a lot worse for him and his people in the future, as word would spread, even _if_ the man deserved it. It was not Thranduil's place to seek revenge. It was his duty to spend that energy on protecting and serving his people, and on helping his sons to cope.

"N-no sleep…" Galadhion murmured tiredly, the emotional and mental strain taken a toll on him, although he would not give in.

Thranduil wished, _wished_ he could tell his son that everything would be alright as long as there were people there to keep him safe. Love him, help him…that he was not alone. The king had impatience grow in his chest toward Agarvorn. Although the Sinda was trying his hardest, what with balancing work between serving the prince and others, Thranduil hoped this new writing system would be finished soon.

They _needed_ to communicate with Galadhion, and sooner was better than later

Thranduil moved a hand to the pillow that somehow stayed in Galadhion's grasp and squeezed the top of it a few times, before gently tugging the elf's arms again.

Galadhion's brows furrowed as he tried to understand, but he shook his head sadly. "N-no sleep…" he repeated as if that was the answer to everything

It was deceptive: this fear of sleep. When he was asleep: everything was peaceful, and he did not seem to have nightmares like he does when awake. Perhaps they were wrong, and he did have nightmares…

Thranduil tried a different approach. The king tugged on his son's arms (which Galadhion reacted by pulling back before Thranduil ceased), squeezed the pillow, _then_ hugged him.

Galadhion blinked sluggishly before some kind of idea came to his mind. "N-no s-sleep…m-move?" he asked with a stutter and with fluctuating volume.

Thranduil's heart leaped up and he wanted to cry himself, but that would have to wait. With a finger, he brushed it against Galadhion's cheek upward. The prince understood that to mean yes, while downward meant no.

Galadhion gave a tentative nod, and although he had memorized the number of steps it took to get from room to the next (when he was calm), he let Thranduil guide him to the bed and crawled into it.

Thranduil in the meantime picked up the extract that somehow managed to survive the scuffle, although being on the floor already helped. He pulled the stopper out and moving back to the bed, let a couple drops fall onto the pillows, and the scent wafted into the air. The king then got into the bed as well and Galadhion glued himself next to the warm body: the lavender and closeness of another person finally doing its work.

Thranduil stared at the ceiling, sometimes drifting into a light doze before waking up again: either reminding himself to keep vigil or because Galadhion seemed to be on the verge of another panic. But his son was exhausted, and Galadhion fought against the urge, even though slumber should be the only remaining place where he could find solace.

Thranduil murmured another prayer under his breath: that Galadhion could find healing, that they could work out a system that would make his life functional…That if there was any hope that his sight and hearing would return, that a sign is shown to them.

Eregnis came back into the room and she joined her husband and child, the parents not saying anything, while Galadhion relaxed some more with both of them present on either side of him, and Thranduil thought he did finally go to sleep, if for a few minutes.

Eregnis slumbered while Thranduil continued to drift in and out of wakefulness. Something caught his eye and the king turned his head to see what it was. There, emerging from a small cavity in the tree that one of the house's walls integrated into, was a small ball of white light. It could be easily mistaken as a firefly, but it was one of the rarer insects that remained from ages past.

The king held a hand out, hoping to draw the bug to him, out of curiosity more than anything else. The glowing insect flitted to the elf and landed on his finger. The light was intense enough that the bug itself could not be seen, but the elf could feel the tiny legs across his skin.

Thranduil relaxed against the headboard and regarded his son thoughtfully. "No man of evil will ever harm you again, my son," he said lowly so not to disturb his wife. She needed the rest. "You will be kept safe by those that love you."

The glowing bug had not flown away yet, which surprised the elf-king. The light it gave shone on Galadhion's face, and the prince woke again from another light doze. Thranduil watched silently and Galadhion blinked, squinting in confusion for a moment.

Then, against all beliefs, his clouded eyes which were constantly fixed in a stare, locked onto the glowing bug.

"Eregnis," Thranduil said.

"Hmm?" The queen shifted awake and propped herself on her arm.

"Look," the king said in a shaky voice, not daring to believe but so desperately wanted to.

Galadhion continued to blink as his eyes remained fixed on the light. His expression changed to various emotions: confusion, apprehension, and…hope?

"I-I…s-see," the prince whispered. "S-small…"

Eregnis choked on her emotions and she smiled happily and with a quaver.

Thranduil felt hope overwhelm him and he too wept out of joy. The bug remained sitting on his finger and with his free hand stroked his son's head again. "Everything will be well…"


End file.
